Box with corner type pouring spout



June 5, 1962 H. L. METZGER BOX WITH CORNER TYPE POURING sPouT Filed April 18, 1960 INVENTOR. HENRY L.METZGER United States Patent 3,037,679 BOX WITH CORNER TYPE POURING SPOUT Henry L. Metzger, Castleton on Hudson, N.Y., assignor to Fort Orange Paper Company, Castleton on Hudson, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 23,053 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-17) This invention relates to boxes provided with pouring spouts having particular reference to corner types of pouring spouts, such as that shown in my Patent No. 2,029,- 888, with several novel and important improvements thereover having to do with the opening and closing structures of such spouts, and the provision thereof is the principal object of the invention.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide such a pouring spout in which a portion thereof forms a wing member attached to an end closure flap which is formed with irregularly curved edge extensions of greater radius than the arcuate edge of the segment of the flap forming the other portion of the spout, to form means to be engaged along its edge and marginally thereof between the adjacent side wall and the overlying closure flap.

Other specific objects of the invention are the provision of such a closure flap forming the segmental portion of the spout in which there is provided a slit to permit flexing the same for ready opening of the spout; in which the curved extensions on the wing member include a camlock protuberance with means, preferably in the form of a slot in the top flaps adjacent the side wall, frictionally to engage the edge and marginal surfaces to rotate and hold the spout between closed and open position; and in which the curved edge extensions on the wing, besides the cam-lock protuberance, includes the combination therewith of a limit stopthat extends beyond the base of the slot to limit rotation of the chute to fully open position.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention'reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of the inside of a die-cut and scored blank of suitable paper material embodying such a box;

FIG. 2 shows a fragmentary portion of the top of the blank in FIG. 1 after the same has been folded and secured in collapsed condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the top of such a box showing the removal of a portion to expose the underlying portion of the pouring spout; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the pouring spout in fully opened position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the blank indicated generally at is made of any suitable paper board material.

Such a die-cut and scored blank comprises side walls 11 and 12 and end walls 13 and 14' defined by an upper score line 15, a lower score line 16, and vertical score lines 17, 18, 19 and 20.

To the right of the score line 20 is a conventional glue flap 21. Below the score line 16 are bottom side wall ice closure flaps 11 and 12'; and bottom end closure flaps 13 and 14'.

Above the score line 15 are side Wall top closure flaps 11 and 12"; and top end wall closure flaps 13" and 14". The top side wall closure flap or panel 11" is provided in one corner with a section 22 that normally overlies the pouring spout indicated at 23 when in closed position; and this section 22 is defined by a line of weak 1168s or perforation 22 to permit tearing away of the section 22. Also, the side top wall closure panel 12 is similarly provided with a section 25, defined by a line of weakness 25', that also normally overlies the pouring spout 23 when in closed position and, as a matter of fact, also overlies the section 22.

Referring now to the improved type of pouring spout 23, it will be seen that the top end wall closure flap 13 is provided with a wing member 26 that lies within the box in a plane substantially at right angles to the flap 13 and adjacent a side wall 12 when the box is closed. The pouring spout 23, besides comprising the wing member 26 as one portion thereof, also includes, as the other portion thereof, a segment 27 defined by the score line 28 with one end of the adjacent score line 15; and an arcuate line of weakness indicated generally at 29. Extending normally from the line of weakness 29, and into the flap portion 13", is a slit 30, the function of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring again to the wing member 26, it will be seen that it has an irregularly curved edge indicated generally at 31. That is, this edge comprises a cam-lock protuberance 32 which is of greater radius than the arcuate portion '33 .of the segment 27 after the same has been separated from the flap 13" when broken away therefrom along the line of weakness indicated generally at 29. Consequently, it is likewise true that the wing member 26 will be of greater area than the segment 27 with this type of irregular cam-lock edge, and especially is this true by the extension portion 34 on the wing member 26 which functions as a limit stop as will more fully be explained hereinafter.

At the opposite end of the score line 15 will be found a slot 35 extending inwardly from the bottom of the line of weakness 25', and this slot is adapted to accommo date the cam-lock 32 and adjacent marginal portions of the irregularly curved surface generally indicated at 31 of the wing member 26, as will more fully appear hereinafter.

The structure, and the function in part thereof, having been described in connection with the blank of FIG. 1, it will be readily seen that, after the same has properly been printed and run through a straight line gluing machine, or the like, the same will be folded upon itself along the score or fold line 19 so that the side wall panel 12 falls upon the entire end wall panel 14 and substan tially all of the side wall panel 11. Simultaneously with this folding operation, the end wall panel will be folded along the score line or fold line 17 in such a manner that the wing member 26 of the pouring spout 23 underlie the top closure panel 12" and the tear-away section 25; and the marginal edge of the end wall 13 will overlie the glue flap 21, to which glue has been appropriately applied, all as shown in part in FIG. 2, to provide a collapsed type of box ready for shipping in quantity.

When the boxes are ready for use to be filled with any suitable type of pourable material, such as, for example, salt, baking soda, and the like, the collapsed form of the box is secured in the conventional manner, the bottom end wall flaps 13 and 14 folded inwardly, and the side wall bottom closure flaps 11' and 12' likewise are folded inwardly with a suitable adhesive therebetween to overlie each other in connected relation as well as to overlie the end closure flaps and seal the bottom of the box.

The top closure flaps are likewise inwardly folded and closed after the box has been filled with its pourable commodity. That is to say, the end flap 14" and and the end flap 13 are folded inwardly toward each other. At the same time, as. briefly indicated in the foregoing, the wing member 26 will be bent along the score line 28 to assume the position at right angles to the remainder of the end flap 13", as aforesaid, and fall adjacent the side wall 12. The top side wall closure flaps 11" and 12" are then likewise folded inwardly so that the latter overlies the former, as well as the underlying end flaps 13" and 14", with adhesive therebetween to hold them in sealed engagement, and with the section 25 overlying the section 22.

In opening this type of box, the sections 22 and 25 are readily torn away and discarded to expose the top end flap 13", the segment 27 of the pouring spout, and the slit 30 extending from the line of weakness 29. By depressing the portion 13" in the area of the slit 30, the connecting portions therebetween and between the segment 25 are readily broken away, as well as depressed so that it is an easy matter to insert the finger, or finger nail, or any other object underneath the section 27 to open the pouring spout to fully open position. It is well known that after opening and closing a conventional type of pouring spout of this general structure, the hinge line weakens and it either falls shut or to fully open position without the user having any control thereover. However, such disadvantages are obviated by means of the cam-lock protuberance 32 which engages or rotates edgewise through the perforated slot extending from the edge slightly beyond section 25 so that the irregular edge of the wing member is in frictional contact with the bottom of the slot. Also, the marginal portions on each side of the cam-lock are engaged by the edges of the top closure fiap 12" as well as the edges along the score line adjacent the panel 12. With this kind of a camlock arrangement, the closure member can be rotated and maintained anywhere between a fully open and fully closed position because of the constant frictional engagement with the edge of the wing member and contiguous portions of the surrounding box.

The area of the wing member, as aforesaid, is much greater than the segment 27, and this is enhanced by the limit stop extension 34, which extension, while not entirely novel of itself, is greater in area in that it extends far beyond the bottom of the slot 35 to function in conjunction with the cam-lock 32.

Since certain changes may be made in the above product and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a blank for a box with a corner pouring spout of the type having an upper horizontal score line, a lower horizontal score line, and first, second, third, and fourth vertical score lines defining side walls and end walls, bottom and bottom side wall closure flaps beneath said horizontal score line and top and top side wall closure flaps above said upper horizontal score line, that improvement consisting of a wing mernber hingedly connected to one of said top side wall closure flaps, a segment of said top side wall clcosure flap being defined by an arcuate line of weakness in said top side wall closure fiap which is adjacent said wing member with a score line therebetween having a vertical dimension less than the maximum height of said wing member, said wing member projecting beyond said side wall closure flap and the edge of the blank in the plane thereof and having an irregularly curved edge forming a protuberance which is of greater radius than the arcuate portion of said segment, a slit extending from said line of weakness in said top side wall which adapts the area beyond said slit to be manually depressed and broken away for opening the adjacent segment of said pouring spout to fully open position, and a slot formed at the upper horizontal score line below said arcuate line of weakness into which said wing member projects and which extends inwardly from the bottom of said line of weakness to accommodate said wing member and be frictionally engaged thereby with adjacent marginal portions of the irregularly curved edge of said wing member being locked in fully open and intermediate open positions, and a limit stop spaced from the same upper horizontal score line beyond said slot to limit the rotation of said wing member to the fully open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,418 Cavanagh Dec. 12, 1905 1,249,005 Blain Dec. 4, 1917 2,029,888 Metzger Feb. 4, 1936 2,040,483 Harris May 12, 1936 

